South of the Temple of Huacheng Si stands Zhantanlin Temple (late 18th c.). It contains statues of Sakyamuni, Guanyin and Dizang.
The best-known temple on Mount Jiuhuashan is that of Roushen Baodian, first built in 794 and rebuilt in the second half of the 19th c. Today it houses some valuable writings from the Song and Yuan period (10th 14th c.).
The Temple of Zhiyuan Si (to the east of Huacheng Si) was built during the rule of Jiajing (reigned 1521-67). Special mention should be made of the three gilded statues of the Buddha in the main hall.
The Palace of the Centenarian on Mount Mokangling contains the mummy, encased in gold, of the monk Haiyu or Wuxia, who lived during the Wanli period (1573-1620) and died at the age of 126.
On the way to the Peak of the Heavenly Terrace (Tantai Feng) the visitor will pass Bamboo Lake (Zhuhai). From the peak, which is 1325m/4349ft high, Mount Huangshan can be seen to the south and the Changjiang river in the north.
Yellow Mountain, some 150km/93 miles south of Wuhu, has 72 peaks; the highest is Lianhua (1860m/6104ft). The name of the mounain is linked to a legend according to which it was here that the Yellow Emperor carried out his alchemical experiments in an attempt to discover the elixir of life.
Mount Huangshan is famous for its “four natural wonders” – the steep rock-faces, the pine-trees growing in the strangest shapes imaginable, the grotesquely-formed masses of stone and the sea of cloud through which the peaks protrude. The saying is that Yellow Mountain combines everything that other mountains possess individually the importance of Mount Taishan, the bleakness of Mount Taishan, the mists and low clouds of Mount Hengshan, the waterfalls of Mount Lushan and the freshness of Mount Emeishan. The flora and fauna, largely unspoiled, are also unique. Many Chinese artists have included it in their paintings (Wushan Painting) and it is the subject of many a book.
